The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-03
INTERSTATE COMMERCE..
OF the Bili-Its Meaning Ambiguous
and obscure, as tho FrRmers
Themselves Admit.

Secretary Hotter Of the Go ton Ex-
change having sent letters 10 prom
.inent business men asking them to
appear before the Interstate Com
mercs Committees appointed by the
Cotton and Merchants Exchanges
and give their views as to the inter.
stale commerce law received the fol-
lowing reply from Mr.. VIM. R Moore
HonryH otter. sccrstarI ofCotton Exchange;
have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt Of yours asking my views
upon the Interstate commerce bill
lately enacted by the Forty. ninth
Congress.
II thoss who framed and passed that
fearfully and wonderfully constructed
statute cannot, as they themselves
frankly confess, understand its mean
ing, how, then, can II be expected that
an obscure lsyman shall 70 able to In
terpret its mysterious and ambiguous
obscuritiesf / trust, however, that /
may be pardoned for expressing, in
general way, the opposition (irst by
my vote In the Forty-seventh Con-
greseI l have felt from the time OF its
Original suggestion until final enact
ment into an obnoxious law. l do
not believe II to be q wise policy for
the Government OF the United States
to set itself up as the manager and
superintendent of the business OF the
nation, especially the billions upon
billions involved in the gigantic inter-
ests Of the carrying trade of the
more than 10000 miles OF rail-
ways Of the couKtry. The bare
suggestion that this almost
infnitude OF intricate, complex and
complicated moeyned interests, affect
ing directly every bread consumer OF the
nation, should DO arbitrarily taken out
Of the hands Of more than 500 prac-
tical, gagsclous and successful business
men, men trained by long and labori.
GUS lives devoted to the study and
management OF these incalculable in
terests, and turned over suddenly and
unexpectedly for management and alb
solute control to Ave mere Impractical
blet theorists wholly unekilled either by
habits OF thought, practice or educa-
ton for the momentous duties 30
thrust upon them, men personally
worthy enough, no doubt, in the re-
spective fields OF law, politics and
provincialism. say "the bare sug-
gestion OF such apotentous fact, were
1t not Tor the serious effects daily re-
sulting from the operations OF the bill ,
is enough 10 make this great question
appear, In tie eyes Of every practical
man OF common sense, absolutely con
temptible. Why, even already these
Eve theorists have been wisely per.
suaded, under the extraordinary po wers
conferred upon them by the bill to
suspend for ninety days its practical
operations so far as more than one-third
OF the country Is concerned. Why
may they not suspend Indefinitely also
as applied to the whole country
How can the business people or the
country be expected to conduct sue.
cessfully their affairs which require in
advance often many months previous
accurate calculation. Now, IL these
ave unskilled and impractiCable gen.
tlemen, no matter how personally
worthy they be, can thus, by q mere
fiat, unseltle aud unhinge the mighty
problem Of transportation OF products
for 60. 1000, 900 restless and busy people,
this pregnant fact OF itself alone is sui.
ficient In force and power to justify
the utter condemnation OF the law and
to call Enthusiastically for its uncondi-
tional repeal. No cast Iron rule, pro.
mulgated and enforced by the govern
ment aud made exactly and alike APP
pliCable 10 all freights throughout the
the entire country, can ever be
framed to satisfy the business de-
mands OF the times. The circum.
stances and surrounding conditions
of 60 immense and multifarious in
duatIies as those Of the United States
cannot be successfully treated save
by the seliadjustinG operations Of
those natural laws Of competition,
supply aud demand, which, always
and inevitably in the end, produce
results substantially satisfactory to
those concerned.
thus above give you briefly a few
crude, general views. l attempt nc
details. We have not gone sufficiently
far into the workings OF the law t
justify any elaborate opinion Of them
WIN, r, MOORE.